Unknown Territory
by NekonoKatzen
Summary: At long last the war is finally over, and the victorious pilots are taken to live on Zion: a place shrouded to them in mystery and rumors. Will it really be all they expected? Warnings: shounen ai, shoujo ai, and even a het pairing. Read and review?
1. Chap 1

Whoo! I've finally gotten back to writing Zero/Erts fanfics! However, this ficcy also has Kizna/Ikhny and, to a lesser   
extent, Roose/Wrecka. So yeah… I guess that could count as a warning ^_^;;; Anywho, enjoy and please tell me if you see   
any problems with characterization or typos and such. Oh! And if you feel confused about anything… chances are it will be   
explained later in the fic (It's gonna be a long one! At least by MY standards, anyway -_- ). So, yeah… read on, man!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own MK, or its characters, or any other aspect of it for that matter. It belongs to Bunny-sensei,   
and a bunch-o-other peoples!  
  
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Unknown Territory  
By: Me! Nariko-chan!  
The final battle was finally over. All those centuries of fighting were over in mere moments, all those lives lost finally   
repaid by one strike. It was over, and none could be happier than the pilots who had fought and won this final battle.   
They were among the few privileged beings who would be allowed to live on Zion, along with noted GOA and GIS officials, and   
a few aristocrats who had paid their way in.   
  
Zion was foreign to all these people; they knew it only by reputation. It was a place supposedly untouched by humans, except  
perhaps for the few government officials who regularly checked its condition. It was seen by them as the last paradise, one   
they had to protect. Now, finally, it was time for them to see it all for themselves.  
  
"Come on, come on!" A spiky haired teenager nagged as he all-but-dragged his female partner out of her room and into the   
hallway.  
  
"Geeze! Calm down! They won't leave without us!" She scolded in return; hiding the fact that she was just as equally   
excited as he was.  
  
The pair of them made their way down the hall, stopping at a pair of rooms positioned across from each other.   
  
"Kizna-san!" The female occupant of one of the rooms gasped in surprise as she noticed the cat-eared girl in the doorway.   
  
"Hey Ikhny! I came to pick you up…"  
  
"Hey!" Her partner yelled.  
  
"Okay, WE came to pick you up" Kizna corrected herself, flattening her ears in annoyance.  
  
Suddenly the door of the other room slid open, and a young blond emerged, starring at the floor.  
  
"ERTS!" The older boy yelped, nearly tackling the blond to the ground with a hug.  
  
"Zero, you seem rather excited to…"  
  
"You have NO idea," Kizna cut Erts off; "he's been aggravating me all morning!"  
  
"Well, it's not EVERYDAY that you move to Zion!" He said through grasped teeth.  
  
"That still doesn't mean you have to be so annoying!" She hissed back.  
  
"Um… perhaps we should go? We don't want to be late for the shuttle." Erts interrupted, nervously.  
  
Zero's mood shifted back to happy once again, and he put his arm on Erts' shoulder, leading him to the shuttle which would   
take them to Zion. Kizna and Ikhny, Erts' repairer since Tune left, were not far behind, chatting about their views of Zion.  
They were the last to leave for Zion, though Zero had been offered the chance to go first and be one of the first people to   
set foot on Zion. He had rejected that offer flat out, surprising everyone, but his explanation was simple: he wanted to   
go with Erts. Erts, after all, was his best friend, so he couldn't just leave him there.  
  
The four heroes were shown to a theatre-like room on the shuttle, and were told to sit down. The holographic screen   
flickered on and a movie about the history of Zion began to play. Kizna and Ikhny began chattering again about random   
things, and Zero soon fell asleep in his chair. Erts paid attention to the movie as long as he could until his focus was   
broken by the snores coming from the seat next to him.  
  
"Zero… you're supposed to be watching this. Zero…" Erts whispered, poking Zero lightly until he woke up.  
  
"But it's boring!" Zero whined, still half asleep.  
  
Erts smiled slightly and leaned back into his seat, watching Zero slowly drift back into sleep again. He had to admit Zero   
was right: The movie was, in fact, terribly dull, but of course he would never say that to anyone. That's one thing he   
loved so much about Zero; he loved how he wasn't afraid to mention what he thought about things.   
  
"You know, Erts… you're not fooling anyone," Kizna said, giggling.  
  
"Huh?" Erts snapped to attention, "Oh… I was just…" he stuttered, blushing softly and fidgeting in his seat.  
  
Just as Kizna opened her mouth to tease Erts a bit more, a big burly man walked into the room and turned on the lights. He   
wore a government uniform, which only made him look even more intimidating.  
  
"We will be arriving at Zion shortly. Until then please ready yourselves for landing and departure. You may pick up you   
bags in the main waiting room" the man said in a deep monotone voice. He then turned and left the room without another word.   
  
"Well, I guess we better do as he says at get ready!" Kizna said, cheerfully. She took Ikhny's hand and began to lead her   
out of the room, pausing to taunt Erts just a bit more. "Erts, why don't you help get Zero ready to leave?"  
  
Kizna winked playfully at Erts and scampered off with Ikhny before he could reply. Erts still wasn't totally used to someone   
acting so friendly with him, and he often found himself lost for words when she teased him about Zero. It was not exactly   
something he enjoyed being teased about. Now, It wasn't because it involved him and another boy, no, he KNEW he loved Zero;   
more, it was because he was afraid that one day Zero would overhear, and would end up abandoning him. He had decided years   
ago that it would be better to have Zero as a friend than not having him around at all.  
  
"Zero, it's time to g…" Erts stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed Zero's eyes were wide open, staring at him. "H-How   
long have you been awake?"   
  
"Since you woke me up to watch that stupid movie."   
  
Erts thought he was going to faint: Zero had heard the teasing. He thought for sure any moment now Zero was going tell him   
off, or something of that nature. Then Zero would never speak to him again, and he would be alone. It would be like 3 years   
ago, before he had ever even met Zero.  
  
"Erts! Aren't you coming?"   
  
Erts woke up from his train of thought and looked up to see Zero standing in the doorway, looking rather concerned.  
  
"Are you okay?"   
  
"Yes. Yes, I am fine, thank you. Sorry, my mind must have wandered off." Erts faked a smile.  
  
"Well, okay. I guess I'll meet you in the waiting room then?"  
  
"Yes, of course." Erts mumbled, still faking the smile.  
  
Zero watched Erts as he left with a worried look: that smile hadn't fooled him for a second. He knew Erts far too well to   
fall for such a weak effort, and knew it was never a good thing when Erts put on that false expression. Erts mused on the   
events of just a few moments ago, finding himself becoming slightly confused.  
  
"Didn't he hear Kizna? I know Zero isn't stupid enough to not have understood what she was talking about." Erts thought.   
  
"Errrrrrrrrrts!" Zero yelled from the waiting room. "Hurry uuuuup!"  
  
The yelling was soon followed by more yelling, only this time it was Kizna scolding Zero for being so loud. Erts laughed to   
himself, and made his way down the hall, heading towards the source of all the noise.  
  
"Maybe he didn't hear her? Maybe he really WAS asleep." He pondered as he entered the room.  
  
"FINALLY!" Zero scolded playfully as he pounced on Erts.  
  
The government official from before marched in, interrupting the playful little moment.  
  
"We are about to enter the planet's atmosphere. Please sit down and buckle in, it may get a bit turbulent."  
  
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And that's it for chapter #1! Yay! Next we catch up with Roose, Wrecka and the rest of the gang, AND I assure you, some   
weird things will begin to be explained! Well, be sure to review!! Bye bye and have a spiffy day!! 


	2. Chap 2

Okay, welcome to chapter two! Umm… no author notes here because they are all at the bottom. ^_^ Enjoy!   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own MK, or it's characters. *woeful sigh*  
  
Oh! Watch out for the flashback in the beginning... it may be confusing figuring out where it ends o_o;;;  
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Unknown Territory- Chap 2  
By: Nariko  
"Damn! I thought we were gonna die!" Zero screamed, bent over, his hands on his knees.  
  
"Yes, it seems they forgot to mention that in the information packet they gave us" Erts groaned, holding his head.  
  
Entry into the atmosphere had not been a pleasureful experience for the two former pilots and their repairers. In fact, it   
had been a rather stressful one, but it wasn't the extreme turbulence that got to them; no, it was the fact that within   
moments their transport craft had turned into a fireball hurtling to the ground at an incredible speed. Ikhny had been the   
first to notice this strange new phenomenon…  
  
"Excuse me, sir... what is that glowing outside of the window?" She had asked the military man, innocently.  
  
"Oh that? It's fire, burning hot plasma, that sort of thing. Objects tend to burn up in the atmosphere. Just hope this ship   
doesn't have any shield malfunctions; otherwise, we'll be incinerated."   
  
The man smirked, and suddenly chaos erupted among the four teenage passengers; Ikhny clung to Kizna for dear life,   
convinced that every bump the ship made was the shields failing; Kizna held on to Ikhny and stared out the window,   
paranoid that it was going to crack; Zero jumped out of his seat, yelling at the man for not warning them of this sooner;   
and Erts jumped out of his seat as well, trying to calm down Zero. Suddenly, the ship jerked violently. Zero managed   
to grab the arm of his seat just in time, saving him from being thrown across the room; Erts, however, was not as lucky.   
He was hurled forwards, hitting his head on the frame of an empty seat in front of him.  
  
"ERTS!" Everyone screamed simultaneously, as they rushed over to him.  
  
"Back to your seats, NOW!" The official ordered.  
  
Zero waved the girls off, signaling for them to return to their seats.  
  
"Erts, are you okay?" Zero whispered to his friend.  
  
"My… my head…" was all Erts could manage to reply.  
  
"It's okay. Here, I'll help you back to your seat."   
  
Zero put Erts' arm around his shoulder and helped him to his feet. Slowly, they made their way to Erts' seat, where   
Zero helped buckle him in. Luckily, the rest of the flight was relatively smooth, and Erts was able to recover a little   
before landing.  
  
So now Zion finally met the rest of its heroes: one nearly kissing the pavement beneath him, one praying to the goddesses   
for pain killers, and their partners embracing each other, happy to be alive and on the ground.  
  
"Oh! Are you all okay?" A sweet sounding voice asked Zero.  
  
"Yeah… but Erts…" Zero looked up to see big, green, worried eyes staring down at him.  
  
"Don't worry! The doctors here are really nice, they even give you candy! The owner of the green eyes reassured,   
cheerfully.  
  
"Roose! There you are! I was wondering where you had wandered off to!" a woman's voice scolded.  
  
Zero and Roose looked up to see Wrecka coming their way; hands on hips and looking slightly annoyed.  
  
"Sorry, Wrecka-chan! I just heard that their ship was here, so I wanted to come say hi!"  
  
"Well, okay…" Wrecka caught a glimpse of Kizna, who was in the middle of rolling her eyes. "Look! Isn't it lovely?"   
Wrecka showed off a sparkling, golden bracelet, "Roose bought it for me at one of the shops here." She smiled at   
Roose and cuddled his arm.  
  
"Yes, it's very beautiful…" Kizna answered, trying her best not to be sarcastic, "but what…"  
"Whoops!" Wrecka cut Kizna off, "I'd LOVE to stay and chat, but it's almost time for our step class! Ta!"  
  
She grabbed Roose's wrist and lead him down the walk and to a waiting car. Roose just looked back to his friends   
and waved good-bye, looking a cross between happy and pathetic.  
  
"Wow, his leash keeps getting shorter and shorter." Kizna sighed, shaking her head. Suddenly she remembered what   
she was about to ask Wrecka, "What shops was she talking about?"  
  
"Oh! Well, there is a city about twenty minutes away from here. Didn't they tell you during your flight?" A small, skinny   
man inquired.  
  
"No. It seems there was much that wasn't told to us on out flight." Kizna narrowed her eyes at the military man, who   
was still smirking.  
  
The slim man, who later introduced himself as Dr. Cumor, laughed nervously. "No matter, you will be taken there soon,   
but before then we must tend to your friend."  
  
Two nurses emerged from behind him, and guided Erts to the medical center. Dr. Cumor followed soon after, stopping   
to talk to a fire-haired woman standing beside the medical center doorway.  
  
"So, what do you think?" He asked the woman, nervously.  
  
"The blond." She answered sternly.  
  
"But… but… according to his records and prior observations…" The doctor stammered.  
  
"I don't care."  
  
"But miss, he's only 17..."  
  
"As I said, I. don't. care. Don't question me, you'll get hurt" She threatened, glaring at the older man with her dark   
silver eyes.  
  
"As you wish." He submitted, looking at his feet as he slunk away.  
  
Back near the ship, Zero, Kizna, and Ikhny had watched the entire conversation.  
  
"Kizna, is it just me or…" Zero began.  
  
"Is that women creepy? " Kizna finished.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Believe me, it's not just you. There is definitely something not right about her." Kizna flatted her ears to her head.  
  
"I'm gonna go check on Erts, okay?" Zero said, never taking his eyes off the woman.  
  
"Good idea. We'll stay here and see if there is anything else about this place we need to know."  
  
Zero nodded and began walking across the landing strip to the gray building where the medical center was located. He   
found himself being glared at by the woman the entire way until he got to the doorway.  
  
"You're Zero Enna, correct?" She asked, still glaring at him.  
  
"Yes, I am. And who may you be?" He questioned, keeping his eyes on the door in front of him.  
  
"Me? Why, I'm Winter Gridington. Daughter of Roger Gridington, the most influential man on Colony B-20!" She   
said, flipping her hair over her shoulders. "And what Colony to do you hail from?"  
  
"K-01"  
  
"K-01?! That POOR colony?!" She suddenly broke out in a cackling fit, wiping away tears before calming down again.   
"My condolences!"  
  
Zero restrained the urge to punch her and continued on into the building. She watched him go, smiling crookedly.  
  
"You'd better not get in my way, Enna. NOBODY stands between Winter Gridington and her toys."  
  
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Okay, I must explain a few things! First of all, Roose calls Wrecka "Wrecka-chan" simply because it's cutesy, okay?   
Secondly, please don't freak out because I have this OC girl, Winter. She's a psycho, evil aristocrat who wants Erts as   
her little plaything… and she's kind of important to the story o_o;;; What did you expect me to do? Give them a happy   
and peaceful existence? *scoff* Screw that! Conflict! WEEEE! ^__^   
  
Till next chapter, tootles! 


	3. Chap 3

Whoot whoot! Nariko was on a ROLL last night XD I actually finished a chapter! Um… I think that's all OO;; Enjoy the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: Me no own MK.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Unknown Territory- Chap 3  
  
By: Nariko  
  
"HIEAD!" Ikhny screamed, drenched in sweat, as she shot up in bed, waking up the cat-eared girl laying next to her.  
  
"Ikhny? What's wrong? Was it that dream again?"  
  
"Mmhm" Ikhny nodded. She stared down at her hands, not being able quite to see them without her glasses. Kizna leaned over and embraced her.  
  
"It's okay, it's just a dream…"  
  
"No, it's more than that. It's like he's taunting me… even though it's been three years since…"  
  
"Don't. It wasn't your fault, you know."  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Hey, lets just try to get all the sleep we can now, okay?"  
  
"Okay" Ikhny agreed, a small smile on her face.   
  
"Night… again." Kizna smiled back before planting a quick kiss on her girlfriend's forehead.  
  
"Good night." Ikhny squirmed her way back under the covers, and cuddled up against Kizna. She stared at the back of her bedmate's head, thinking to herself: "Hiead, please, just leave me alone."  
  
It had been two months since the former pilots and their repairers had arrived in Zion. All of them had become accustomed to Zion's way of life, all of them except maybe for Erts. Erts, along with Roose, were being forced to attend school because of a law stating ALL individuals under the age of eighteen must be schooled until the day of their eighteenth birthday. Erts was counting the days: for him, there was no hell worse than being a telepathist in a high school full of overzealous admirers.  
  
Today had been no different: people, especially females, had tried to grab, hug, and even kiss him, as usual. Now, he took his usual stroll back to his apartment, his head hanging as he stared at the ground. Suddenly a clash of thunder roared, startling him.  
  
"Great… rain…" He sighed as little wet pellets of water began falling on him.  
  
"Aww! Now don't you look so cute in your little school uniform!"  
  
Erts turned around to see Zero smirking under a stoop's overhang, leaning against the building's door. "Zero! Shouldn't you be at work?"  
  
"Eh… I quit. It was a really boring job anyways." Zero laughed. "I figured this is the way you probably come home from school, so I decided to surprise you!"  
  
"Yes, a very lovely surprise…" Erts smiled at Zero, seemingly oblivious to the rain drenching him.  
  
"So! I was thinking maybe we could go out to lunch or something…" Zero suggested as he hopped over the stoop's railing, and onto the sidewalk below.  
  
"Zero, it's four thirty in the afternoon."  
  
"Dinner then! But you'll, er, have to change first." Zero said, pointing at Erts' uniform.  
  
"Huh? Oh!" Erts finally realized he was soaked from head to toe. Zero snickered at him, opened his umbrella, and walked over to Erts.  
  
"Here you go," Zero took off his jacket and handed it to Erts. "So you don't get too cold."  
  
"Thank you." Erts graciously put it on, making sure to stay under Zero's umbrella. "So, where shall we eat?"  
  
"Hmm… Roose said there is a really great restaurant at 1st and Main. He used to sneak out and eat there every Wednesday… that is until Wrecka caught him doing it." Zero said as he meandered down the street with Erts.  
  
"Poor Roose." Erts said quietly, stopping for a moment in front of their apartment building.  
  
"Yeah, it must be hard being pussy-whipped." Zero closed and shook the water off of his umbrella. "Anyway, let's get you dried up!" he said happily, opening the door for Erts.  
  
Back two months ago, when it had come time for the teenagers to choose homes for themselves, Zero and Erts had decided to move into two apartment buildings that sat right across the street from one another so that they could see each other whenever they wanted. Roose and Wrecka, or rather just Wrecka, had decided that a nice, roomy, penthouse apartment would be best for them. Ikhny and Kizna were the only ones who hadn't decided to move into the city; instead, they had opted to live in the suburbs.  
  
"Have you heard from the girls since they moved away?" Erts asked, patting the water off his face with the towel Zero had provided him.  
  
"Kizna and Ikhny? Yeah. Apparently, they have become very domestic." Zero scoffed as he poured some water for himself and Erts into paper cups. "But when I called Kizna a husband, she freaked out. I swear I could even feel something slap me upside the head…"  
  
Erts laughed a bit as Zero handed him one of the cups. Suddenly, he became very quiet. "Is… Ikhny still having that dream?"  
  
Zero sighed and stared off into space. "Yeah. Kizna says she wakes up almost every night screaming 'HIEAD!'" Zero clenched the hand holding his cup, causing water to squirt everywhere, "That bastard… torturing her even after death!"  
  
"Ah! Zero… water… everywhere…"  
  
"I'm surprised you don't have dreams about it. You were his target, after all." Zero looked at the chair where Erts had been sitting. To his surprise, it was empty. "Erts?"   
  
"Yes, well, thankfully I was unconscious for most of the incident." Erts snapped as Zero looked down to see him mopping up the water that had gushed out of Zero's crushed cup.  
  
"You'd make a good housewife!" Zero teased, gracefully stepping away from the topic of Hiead, which was apparently still upsetting for Erts.  
  
Erts kept his vision on the floor, trying to hide a blush. "You'd be a housewife's nightmare. Besides, I have enough trouble trying to clean up after myself and Laila."  
  
"Laila, you're damn cat." Zero's eyes narrowed, "She's trying to kill me, you know! I swear, as soon as I walk into your living room I feel these eyes staring me down. Maybe I should just stay away from your apartment."   
  
"She's still a baby! She'll get used to you!" Erts said, slightly panicking over the idea of Zero never coming over again.  
  
"Erts, you're all pale. You're not getting sick are you?" Zero looked genuinely concerned.  
  
Erts waved him off "No no… I'm fine. I'll just… go and change into some of your clothes, and then we can leave, alright?"  
  
Zero nodded. "Geeze, I wonder what's wrong with him?" Zero pondered as Erts disappeared into Zero's bedroom. "He's be acting kind of… weird around me lately. Wonder what I did?" Zero had only begun to look back into his memory, looking for something that would have caused Erts to act strangely, when Erts emerged from the room. "Wow, that was fast!"  
  
"Yes it was… considering that I had to root through the pile of clothes on your closet's floor to find stuff that even remotely matched." Erts smoothed out the white, T-shirt and made sure the big blue star on the front was centered. "I think I like this. Where did you get it?"  
  
"Kizna. You can keep it. I never wear it anyway."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah." Zero ran a hand through his hair. "besides, it won't kill you to own ONE pair of shorts. Shall we go?"  
  
"Sure!"  
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Originally, this was supposed to be a mostly Kizna/Ikhny chapter, buuut… that kinda changed. Next chapter expect Erts vs. rabid fangirl-classmate and Zero vs. Winter. Oh, and maybe there will be some other people in it as well ;;


	4. Chap 4

**This chapter sucked to write. Seriously, like, I got chapter 5 done on a random whim of inspiration… but this one just would NOT cooperate. Oh well, at least it's DONE.  
  
Disclaimer: Nariko does not own MK.  
  
Unknown Territory- Chap 4  
  
By: Nariko**  
  
Zero and Erts laughed, joked and enjoyed the newly reemerged sun as they headed to the eatery. Unfortunately for Erts, it seemed that taking a direct route to the place wasn't such a good idea.  
  
"ERTSY! Oh my god!" a girl squealed as she ran across the street to greet them.  
  
"Oh, hi… umm…" Erts slipped back behind Zero as he pondered over who this girl was.  
  
"Julie!"   
  
"Ah… yes."   
  
"Ohhh… is this one of your little girlfriends?" Zero smirked before practically being deafened by a shriek brought on by his use of the word girlfriend.  
  
"Me… and Erts?" She squealed once more before looking at her watch. "Ah! Sorry… I have to go meet a friend! Byyyye Ertsy!"  
  
"So!" Zero watched the girl run off. "That's one of the psycho girls that has a crush on you?"  
  
"Yes." Erts sighed, looking as if he wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Suddenly a realization came to him, "Wait, how did you know about that? I don't think I told you…"   
  
"You didn't. Clay did!" Zero said cheerfully. "I ran into him right after I quit my job."  
  
Erts still was confused. "How did HE know?"  
  
"Clay has been keeping tabs on all of us." Zero kept his gaze forward as they began walking again. "He hacked into your school's administrative files and found all these disruption reports with your name in it." He laughed a little. "But of course he knows you're not the type to cause problems, so he looked into it further to see that the problem was all these girls wanting you."  
  
"Ah." Erts now understood how Zero knew, but the idea of Clay spying on all of them made him a little uneasy. "Well, I guess that's Clay for you. Always out questing for more knowledge." he thought.  
  
"Maybe you should transfer to another school? There is an all male school not far from our homes. I was thinking of applying for a security job there. That way if anyone messes with you, I'll be there to kick ass." Zero punched the air.  
  
Erts smiled at him. "Thank you, Zero, but I don't think that's necessary. I'll be eighteen before long, and then I can leave that accursed school."  
  
"This is it." Zero said, stopping at the door of a café. He looked back at Erts who had stopped dead in his tracks and wouldn't move. "Erts?"  
  
"It's her…" Erts looked terrified.  
  
"Who?" Zero looked in the direction Erts pointed. "Great. It's that Gridington bitch!"  
  
"I keep seeing her everywhere I go," Erts said, not taking his eyes off of her, "and she's always telling me, 'Erts, darling, you're going to look so good in a collar and leash.' I think she even has people following me sometimes."   
  
"That bitch…" Zero growled before storming into the cafe. "Gridington!" he yelled, "What the hell do you think you're doing screwing with Erts' head?!"  
  
"Oh, well, hello Enna." She took a leisurely sip of her tea. "How… _nice_… to see you here."   
  
"Don't…" Zero was cut off as Erts grabbed his arm.  
  
"Please, Zero, stop! You're making a scene!" Erts screamed, telepathically.  
  
"But Erts, you…" he answered in his head, his thoughts flowing into Erts.  
  
"Forget what I said. It's okay, alright? I doubt she'll try anything with you here."  
  
"Would you both care to join me for lunch?" she smirked, snapping them out of their little telepathic conversation.   
  
"Oh, I don't think…" Erts stumbled over his words as he tried to think up an excuse to leave.  
  
"I'll paaaay." Winter said in a sing-song tone.  
  
"Well..." he looked at Zero, "alright." Erts sighed, unable to think of an explanation that would justify Zero and him suddenly leaving. He slid into the booth seat across from now grinning woman. Zero slid in beside him, never taking his angry eyes off Winter.  
  
"Wonderful!" she clapped her hands together. "You two decide on what you want, and I'll be right back." She smoothly rose from her chair and walked off towards the bathrooms. As she entered the ladies room, she locked the door and pulled out a mobile video-phone. "I have them. How are things going on your side?"  
  
A man's voice resonated from the phone. "Preparations have already begun. The task shall be completed shortly. Can you keep them there that long?"  
  
Winter cackled "One snide remark at the blond, and that Enna boy will be bitching at me for hours. I think I can handle them." With that, she put away the mobile, fixed her hair, and walked back out to the table where the boys were still sitting. "Ready?" she asked as she took her seat and smiled at them. Both of the younger boys nodded. "Great. Waitress!" She waved two fingers in the air.  
  
"Are you ready to order?" The waitress smiled politely.  
  
"Yes, I'll have a Caesar Salad, but with dressing on the side and no cheese. Oh, and more tea please."  
  
"Okay, Caesar, no cheese, side dressing. Got it. And you two?" She looked at Zero and Erts.  
  
"Hamburger and a soda." Zero tossed his menu over to Winter's side of the table, hitting her arm.  
  
"Umm… soup. And water."   
  
The waitress giggled a bit "What KIND of soup, dear?"  
  
"Whatever is on special. I don't really care." Erts handed the waitress his menu before she took off to give the orders to the kitchen.  
  
Zero leaned back and crossed his arms, one hand lightly touching Erts' arm to enable him and Erts to have another private conversation, "something's wrong."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Gridington is being nice. It's like she's trying to get something from us. Or you, more specifically."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Zero. We'll eat and then we'll leave."  
  
"Can you last that long?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You haven't looked this down or been this quiet since you were a candidate."  
  
"I'm fine, Zero."  
  
Zero removed this fingers from Erts' arm and suddenly the two noticed that Winter was babbling on about something, and apparently had been doing so for a while. The two just occasionally nodded as she continued to talk, her topics ranging from the latest trends to her privileged life on her former colony. Finally, much to the boys' relief, their food arrived and they quickly gulped it down.  
  
"That was very good. Thank you, Ms. Gridington." Erts said as he shoved Zero, who was still chewing his last bite of burger, out of the booth.  
  
"Oh, surely you two will share dessert with me?" She pouted, trying to play on Erts' sympathies.  
  
"Oh, how we WISH we could… but Erts has to go feed his demon-cat. Right Erts?" Zero looked over at Erts.  
  
"Oh, um, yes! Good-bye." Erts found himself being pulled out the door by Zero.  
  
Winter smiled and waved. "See you later!" Her smile faded as she lost sight of them, "And believe me, you WILL be seeing me again." Once again she pulled out her mobile and spoke to the male figure that again appeared on the screen, "task status?"  
  
"The task has been completed."  
  
**Next chapter: Find out what Winter was up to as "the task" is revealed. Also expect a definite semi-fuzzy Zero/Erts moment… as well as a showdown between Zero and Laila. It'll be the battle of the millennia! Only… not really!**


	5. Chap 5

Heya, everyone! Um… it's… chapter five! As I said in the last chapter, this chapter was written a while ago (before I wrote chapter 4), so if there are any discrepancies, I apologize. This really could have been a one-shot fic in it's own right, but I decided against doing that. I'm not even going to bother putting up a disclaimer, because all the other chapters have it, which makes it obvious that I don't own MK. Wait… I guess that kinda was a disclaimer…  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unknown Territory- Chap 5  
By: Nariko  
  
Zero and Erts stared, wide-eyed, at the charred remains of Zero's apartment building. "We… we were only gone for a few hours." Erts whispered, in shock.  
  
Zero sighed "Damn it. All my clothes! When Kizna finds out, she's going to drag me off on a shopping trip again. I think she gets some sick pleasure in making me try on clothes I hate." Zero looked over at Erts. "It's a good thing I left all my IMPORTANT stuff at your place for safe keeping."  
  
"Yes." Erts stared at the destroyed building for a moment longer before turning his gaze to his friend. "Do you want to stay at my apartment for a while?"  
  
"Sure." Zero shrugged. "Where else would I go?"  
  
"Well, you could go to Kizna and Ikhny's house…"  
  
Zero shuttered at the idea. "NO. Definitely not."  
  
"Okay." Erts smiled and turned to go into his building, Zero not far behind him.  
  
"Hey Erts, do you think I could borrow some of your clothes until I get some new ones? Though, you are slimmer than I am… so…"  
  
"Don't worry." Erts opened the door to his apartment. "I'm sure I can find you something."  
  
Zero sat on a stool as Erts went to find him some extra clothes. Suddenly he felt a familiar stare coming from the sofa area. "It's YOU." he said as a cat emerged from underneath the coffee table. He could have sworn he even saw the small cat smirk.  
  
Moments later, Erts returned from the clothing hunt in his room. "Zero I think I found some clothes that might… fit… you…" Erts trailed off as he blinked at the scene in front of him: Zero, hand hovering above the handle of a cat carrier; and Laila, puffed up so much that she had doubled in size, were engaged in an old fashion stare down in the middle of his living room. Neither even noticed that Erts was there.  
  
"Alright you piece of fuzz, this ends now. Someone is leaving here in a box." Zero narrowed his eyes at the cat.  
  
"HISSS!" replied Laila as she jumped onto the back of the sofa.   
  
"Heh." Zero smirked as his hand above the handle twitched slightly.  
  
"Raaawr!" Laila growled as her tail also twitched slightly. Suddenly she launched herself at Zero, sinking her claws into his lower arm, refusing to let go.  
  
"AHH!" Zero screamed as he began to flail the arm about wildly, trying to shake her off.  
  
"Laila!" Erts ran towards them and removed the creature from Zero's arm. "we have a guest. You need to be nice!" He looked at Zero, who was holding his injured arm, and then looked back at his kitten. "If you keep misbehaving, I'll have no choice but to find an alternative place for you to stay."  
  
"Mew?" she said, looking up at Erts with innocent eyes as he set her down on a chair.  
  
"Bleh!" Zero looked back and stuck his tongue out at her as Erts led him to the bathroom, receiving a fiery glare in return.  
  
"Sit down, please." Erts said as he rummaged through the bathroom cabinets, looking for his first aid kit. "You and Laila really need to learn to get along."  
  
"Well, she started it." Zero pouted, now sitting on the toilet. "Maybe I should just crash in a hotel for a while or something."  
  
"No, no. It's okay. If she misbehaves again, I'll board her in a kennel until you find a new place to live." Erts assured Zero as he brought out the first aid kit and took a little machine out of it. "This will sting a bit." He slowly hovered the machine over the scratches.  
  
Zero flinched a bit. "I hate using these things."  
  
"Yes, but it's the fastest way to stop bleeding and disinfect the wound." Erts pawed through the kit once more, this time removing a roll of white bandages. "Arm." He commanded.  
  
Zero held out his arm and Erts began bandaging it. "Just like old times." Zero winked at him. "You always ended up tending to my bandages on GIS."  
  
Erts sighed, "well, I wouldn't have if you hadn't kept taking them off."  
  
Zero whined. "They were getting in my way during practice!"   
  
"You were _supposed_ to be taking it easy all those times." Erts scolded.  
  
"You're beginning to sound like Kizna."   
  
"Well, it's true."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. But I couldn't let my performance suffer by 'taking it easy'. The Victim never took it easy, so I couldn't either." Zero withdrew his now fully bandaged arm.  
  
Erts giggled softly. "_You _sound like Teela." Erts' tone suddenly became serious as he looked into Zero's eyes. "Zero, there is something I've been wanting to tell you for a really long time…"  
  
"Huh?" Zero was confused by randomness of this.  
  
"Zero, I…" Erts began to fidget and breathe faster, a sure sign that he was extremely nervous. "I…"  
  
There was a loud crash from the living room. "Erts, I think your stupid cat just knocked something over."  
  
"Eh?" Erts hadn't even heard what Zero just said.  
  
"Your cat, I think she broke something. You didn't hear that smashing sound?" Zero raised an eyebrow at Erts.  
  
"Ah! That… yes." Erts lied. "Let's go see what she has destroyed now." Erts got up from his kneeling position, and the two of them walked down the hall to the living room. There they found a pile of dirt, flowers, and shattered ceramic on the floor with a small kitten sitting right in the middle of it all. "Lailaaaa!" Erts whined. "I thought I told you to stay away from that plant."   
  
"Does she have to go to the kennel now?" Zero asked with unholy glee. "I think she needs to go to the kennel."   
  
Erts sighed and hung his head "I think she does too." He went over to the pile, picked up Laila, and put her in her carrier. "Sorry, little one. I'll come get you when Zero leaves." Erts said as he wandered off to find his keys.   
  
Once Erts was out of sight, Zero brought his smirking face down to the grated opening of the carrier, just far enough away that Laila couldn't reach him. "I bet you really thought you won, huh." He laughed, "Wrong! No stupid _cat_ is going to beat Zero Enna!"  
  
"Zero, what are you doing?"  
  
Zero shot up into a standing position and laughed nervously. "Nothing… nothing…"  
  
"I… found my keys. We can go now." Erts looked at Zero strangely.  
  
"Okay!"  
  
Erts picked up the carrier and headed out the door, the carrier's opening facing Zero, subjecting him to a constant amber-eyed glare. In return Zero just smirked back, knowing once and for all that he was superior to a certain ten month old kitten. 

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Next chapter: Zero and Kizna go clothing shopping! Plus, Wrecka and Roose make an appearance as well


	6. Chap 6

Wonder why it took me so long to post a new chapter? Well, I was on posting suspension XD

Oh, and Erts' cat, Laila, is based on my own cat, Lucky. She's a psycho kitty that likes to randomly attack other creatures (humans, dogs, other cats, etc). I 3 her!

* * *

Unknown Territory- Chap 6

By: Nariko

"You know, Zero, it's nice of you to come shopping with me." Kizna said, leading her former partner to the men's department.  
  
"Erts made me."  
  
"You never visit Ikhny and I, and you RARELY ever call." She put the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically. "I almost think you don't love me anymore!"  
  
"Aw, who couldn't love the all great and powerful Kizna?" Zero said sarcastically before getting whacked upside the head by a random magazine Kizna had picked up a few isles ago. "So," he rubbed the spot that had just been hit, "how are you and Ikhny doing?"  
  
Kizna pawed through a rack of clothing. "We're doing fine. Ikhny says she wants to have kids soon, but I don't think I'm ready to be a mother yet. I'm only nineteen!"  
  
"I don't think humanity is ready for you to be a mother yet either." Zero snickered.  
  
"Here." Kizna smiled as she picked out a pale orange tank top with bright green polka dots all over it. "Try this on!"  
  
Zero blinked at the shirt. "You're kidding, right?"  
  
"Nope! And… wear this with it!" She pulled out another item of clothing, this time a pair of neon blue short-shorts. She grinned evilly, "I want you to parade around the store in this outfit."  
  
He stared at her flatly. "That's it. I'm going home." He turned and began to walk away.  
  
"Ah!" She ran after him and grabbed his arm, "I was only kidding!"  
  
"I know, but I've been tortured enough these past few days, thanks." He rubbed the bandaged part of his arm, "I don't need more."  
  
"So, you can tease me… but I can't tease you? That's hardly fair." She pouted.  
  
Zero laughed and put his hands behind his head "Seems fine to me!" Kizna glowered at him.  
  
"Oh! Well, look who it is!" Kizna and Zero turned to see Wrecka walking towards them, waving as if she was a beauty queen. Roose, carrying a mountain of woman's clothing, shoes, and accessories, was not far behind her.  
  
"You know, they have carts here to carry your stuff." Kizna said, pointing to the pile Roose was holding.  
  
"It's okay! Wrecka-chan said this would help me build up more muscles." Roose assured Kizna.  
  
"Roose, darling…" Wrecka watched him wobble around as he tried to keep the stack-o-stuff balanced. "I think you have done enough body building activities for the day. Zero, dear, could you go get us a cart?"  
  
"Hey! I'm not your…" Zero objected before being interrupted my Kizna.  
  
"Zero, just get a damn cart!"  
  
"Yes ma'am." Zero sighed and sauntered off.  
  
"Poor thing." Wrecka watched Zero wrestling with a row of carts which refused to separate. "I know I would be upset and difficult too if all my possessions were destroyed in a fire."  
  
"Who told you?" Kizna shook her head. "Wait… lemme guess… Clay?"  
  
"Yes! According to him, though, the fire wasn't an accident."  
  
Kizna's ears perked. "What did you say?"  
  
"I don't know. I was only half-listening. All I heard was him mumbling about the fire being planned by someone."  
  
"HERE! Is your damn cart." Zero, nearly out of breath after a long cart battle, shoved the cart at Wrecka.  
  
"Oh, thank you!" Wrecka said, spewing sweetness everywhere with her smile. "Here, Roose..." She rolled it in front of Roose, "just put everything in here. GENTLY!" After everything had been placed to her liking, she turned back to Kizna and Zero. "Well, I wish we could stay and chat longer, but we have an event to attend. Ta!" And with that, she and Roose wandered off to check themselves out.  
  
Kizna grabbed her former partner's injured arm. "Zero! Wrecka said Clay told her something about the fire being planned."  
  
Zero shrugged. "Whatever."  
  
"What do you mean 'whatever'?!" She squeezed his arm tighter, causing him to wince from the pain.  
  
"Listen… no one was hurt, and I didn't lose anything I can't just buy again. I don't even care about the fire anymore," he said as he pulled his arm from Kizna's grip.  
  
"Where was all the stuff you can't replace?"  
  
"At Erts'. He's better at keeping track of that kind of important stuff than I am. Though, he does seem to have a problem with locating his keys." Zero began to wander down the isle, running his hands through the racks as he went.  
  
Kizna grinned and jogged a few feet to catch up with him. "So… how have you and Erts been getting along, all cooped up in that little apartment of his?"  
  
Zero beamed "I kicked Laila's ass."  
  
His former partner nodded, "congratulations on beating an animal 50 times smaller than you."  
  
"No! You don't _understand_! This cat is a Hiead incarnate!" he insisted before launching into a lively recollection of his battle with Laila. Neither had even noticed the long haired girl that had been watching them from a distance all this time.  
  
"Miss. Gridington?" The girl spoke into her headset, "it appears your plan has backfired. They're living together now."  
  
Winter's voice flowed through the girl's ear piece "No, no… this is perfect. They can have their fun for now."  
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"Enna won't be allowed live there or anywhere in the city forever. I've made some special arrangements."  
  
"Arrangements?"  
  
Winter seemed to be getting annoyed with all her employee's questions. "No one in the city will sell or rent a place to that brat."  
  
"But, he's one of the pilots! He can do almost anything he wants on Zion." The girl pondered out loud to herself, "well, I guess he can't break the law… but…"  
  
"I HAVE MORE PULL IN THIS CITY THAN SOME IDIOT PILOT!" Winter screamed before breathing in and out a few times, calming herself down. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important people to converse with."  
  
"Yes…" the girl was cut off as she heard a click, signaling that Winter had disconnected her. "Fucking bitch." She looked up and suddenly a look of horror arose on her face. "Oh my god! I've lost them! She gasped as she began to run around frantically, finally stopping near the dressing rooms to mope. "Man, she's gonna kill me."  
  
"Hey, are you okay?" The girl looked up to see Kizna, staring at her with concern as she rolled a bottle of juice in her hands.  
  
"Umm… yeah… I'm… um…" the girl stuttered as she began to back away from Kizna, "I… have to go now!" With that, she ran off.  
  
"Hey, Kizna, what do you think of this?" Zero said as he came out of the dressing room. "Who was that girl?"  
  
Kizna shrugged and pointed at Zero's outfit. "You say I have bad taste? That doesn't even match!"  
  
"I'm going to _sleep_ in it. It doesn't have to match." Zero pulled at, and adjusted the outfit a bit. "I wonder if this fabric will make Erts itch at night…"  
  
Kizna choked on the gulp of juice she had just taken. "You two are sleeping together?!"  
  
"Well, yeah… in the _literal_ sense, anyway. Erts' couch is lumpy and uncomfortable, and he has a big bed, so… why the hell are you grinning?"  
  
"Oh, nothing… that's just really great!" Kizna smiled as Zero stared at her suspiciously. "Just get whatever you want, okay? I told Ikhny I'd be home by six," she said, totally ignoring the odd looks Zero was still giving her.  
  
Zero shrugged. "Alright" he said as he went back into the dressing room to change into the clothes Erts had lent him.  
  
Kizna plopped down into a near-by chair. "Wow. Having Zero stay with him must be stressful for Erts. I wish he'd just tell Zero how he feels," she thought. She began to feel a vibration in her pocket, and realized that it was her phone. "Ikhny?" she said as she answered it.  
  
"Kizna, dinner is ready. Are you coming home soon?" Ikhny asked in a gentle voice.  
  
"Yeah. Zero is just taking his sweet ass time. Plus we ran into Wrecka and Roose..."  
  
"Oh? How are they doing?"   
  
"About the same as always." Kizna shot up straight in her seat. "Oh my god… wait until I tell you about Zero and Erts!"  
  
"And here I thought gossiping was Wrecka's job." Zero playfully glared at Kizna.  
  
"Eh heh." Kizna laughed nervously. "Umm… Ikhny… gotta go. I'll be home soon. Love you!" Kizna kissed at the phone before hanging up. She looked up at Zero, "want to come over for dinner?"  
  
"Nah." He began walking towards the exit. "It's Erts' first time cooking for someone else tonight, and I promised I would tell him if it's good."  
  
Kizna laughed, "you two are almost becoming domestic!"   
  
To her surprise, Zero didn't snap back; instead he just smiled softly, "maybe…"

* * *

Next chapter (whenever I get around to writing it): Zero and Erts' little home-life comes crashing to an end, and Winter convinces Wrecka (or Clay. I haven't decided yet) to explain the "incident" that paired Erts with Ikhny. 


	7. Chap 7

GoldenWings: You need to caaaalm down there! The story isn't anywhere near done yet. But I assure you, someone will probably die in the end (still debating over who, though. Might be Zero… maybe Winter… perhaps even Erts)!  
  
Chapter seven and Erts and Zero aren't together yet. Kyaaa... Maybe they will be in chapter nine or ten?   
  
Oh, and I'm thinking Winter is, like, age 24 for those who may be wondering.

* * *

Unknown Territory- Chap 7  
  
By: Nariko  
  
Zero paid the taxi and walked into Erts' apartment building, still thinking about what Kizna had said about Erts and himself. "Domestic huh?" Zero mumbled as he unlocked the door to the apartment, only to be greeted by complete and total darkness. "Erts?" He blinked a few times in slight confusion. "Hey, Erts! Are you here?"  
  
"I'm here." Zero flipped on the living room lights to see Erts sitting on the couch, slumped over and staring at his feet.  
  
"Erts!" Zero rushed over to his friend's side. "What's wrong?"  
  
"You…" he sounded as if he had been crying, "you have to leave."  
  
Zero was shocked. "Huh?"   
  
"I'm sorry. It's not my choice. The manager here, he said you have to leave."  
  
Zero sat down beside Erts. "But… why?"   
  
Erts shook his head, still facing the floor. "I don't know." Erts pointed back towards the hall, where there were some suitcases and boxes piled up. "I've already packed for you."  
  
Zero placed a hand on Erts' head and began to stroke his hair. "Don't worry." Erts looked up and over at Zero, who smiled at him. "It's not like you'll never see me again."  
  
"But where will you stay now?" Erts asked, a hint of worry in his voice.  
  
"Most likely Kizna's place." Zero groaned and plopped against the backside of the couch, "She'll be more than happy to have a new maid at her service." To his surprise, Erts started giggling. "What the hell's so funny?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing." Erts waved at him, still giggling softly, "It's just… I have this image of you in one of those 'French Maid' outfits I've seen in magazines."  
  
Zero narrowed his eyes at the thought, "That image probably isn't too far off."  
  
"I'm sure Kizna isn't that sadistic." Erts gave Zero an assuring smile.  
  
"Oh yeah? At the store today, Kizna tried to make me wear neon blue shorts with a orange and green polka-dotted tank top. She was all like 'walk around the store in this, Zero!'" Zero said, doing his best impression of Kizna.  
  
"Uh huh." Erts rested his head on his left hand, looking at Zero. "Now, what did you say to provoke her?"  
  
"Um…" Zero smiled uneasily and gave a short nervous laugh, "that? Well, I kinda said the world doesn't want her to have kids."  
  
"Ah, well… I think she let you off easy." Erts nudged Zero slightly, who stuck his tongue out in reply.  
  
"Well…" Zero suddenly became sullen as he turned his attention to his own lap. "I guess I should call Kizna and tell her I'm moving in tonight."  
  
"Yes, I suppose so." With that, Erts went back to his room and shut the door as Zero dialed up Kizna.  
  
Erts snuggled into his bed, clinging to the pillow Zero had been using since he had arrived. "I know it's not a real good-bye…" He thought before pausing for a moment to listen to Zero's phone conversation.  
  
"Yeah, Kizna? Hi. I need a place to stay. They kicked me out! Huh? You don't mind? Alright! What? You want a favor? What kind of favor? What do you mean 'I'll find out later'?! Ugh. Fine. I'll see you in maybe thirty minutes. Yeah. Bye."  
  
Erts squeezed the pillow tighter "… I just thought that maybe he could stay here forever." He heard Zero typing.   
  
"Now… lessee… what is the name of that company that has those huge, fat taxi things… ah! Here it is!"  
  
"No thought had ever made me so blissful before. But maybe…" Erts nuzzled his face into the pillow. "... maybe I'm not meant to be truly happy?"  
  
"Hey, Erts…" Zero leaned into the room, a somewhat sad expression on his face, "The taxi should be here soon. I'm going to go ahead and wait outside."  
  
"Okay." Erts said, muffled by the pillow he was still hiding his face in.  
  
An idea struck Zero. "You… you should come visit next week! You can stay for a bit, even. I'm sure Kizna won't mind." Erts nodded, refusing to separate from the pillow. "See you later, Erts." Zero backed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him.  
  
Erts turned his head to the side, looking at the wall. "Zero…"   
  
In a different part of the city, Winter grinned as she received word that Zero was leaving Erts' place of residence. "Excellent," She said into her communication device. "It's almost time to start the game."  
  
"What about the boy's partner? Miss. Ikhny Allecto? She may still post a threat."  
  
"Fear not. I'm about to find out about her now. Ah… here she is…"  
  
"Who is…" the voice was cut off as Winter shut off the device and stood up at her table.  
  
"Oh! Miss Toesing! Over here!" Winter smiled and waved her hand until she caught Wrecka's attention.  
  
"Good evening, Miss. Gridington." Wrecka smiled, as falsely sweet as ever.  
  
"I'm very happy you could join me for a drink." Winter sat down, signaling for Wrecka to do the same.  
  
Wrecka smoothed her skirt against her legs as she sat down. "Well, it's not every day that you're asked to meet the most influential woman on Zion."   
  
"What will you have, misses?" The waitress asked.  
  
"Iced tea, please. Raspberry flavored with a hint of mint. You can do that right?"  
  
"Certainly." The waitress replied as she scribbled down Wrecka's order on her pad. "And you, Miss. Gridington?"  
  
"The usual."  
  
"Very good. It'll be just a few minutes."  
  
"Do you come here often?" Wrecka asked as her eyes explored the room.  
  
Winter laughed, "You could say that." Winter's gaze wandered to the bar, where they were mixing her drink. "But, in all honestly, I've asked you here for a particular reason."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Winter's eyes followed the drinks as they were brought to their table. "I am rather interested in learning more about the victorious pilots and repairers."  
  
"Oh. Okay! What do you want to know?" Wrecka smiled.  
  
"Tell me, Miss Toesing, what is Erts' relationship with his former repairer?" Winter asked, looking directly at Wrecka as she stirred the ice in her drink.  
  
"Ikhny and Erts? Well…" Wrecka thought for a moment, "they certainly are not unfriendly towards each other."  
  
"That's all? They were partners, I'd assume they were closer than that."  
  
"Well, you see, they weren't each other's original partners." Wrecka brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "They were not paired up until the… incident."  
  
That perked Winter's interest. "Incident?"  
  
Wrecka suddenly found her glass very interesting as she rolled it between her hands. "We don't talk about it."  
  
"Well, I suggest that you do talk about it," Winter gave the younger girl a crooked smile, "unless, of course, you would like for Mr. Sawamura to be involved in an unfortunate accident."   
  
Wrecka looked up, visibly surprised. "What?"  
  
"You heard me."   
  
Wrecka glared at Winter with contempt, "don't you DARE hurt my Roose."  
  
"Then, you will tell me everything. Your partner's very life depends on it."   
  
Wrecka glared at her for a few moments before agreeing. "Fine," Wrecka said forcefully as she stared down at the table. "As a pilot, Erts was originally paired up with his brother's repairer, Tune Youg. Likewise, Ikhny was paired up with another boy named Hiead Gner. Hiead was basically psychotic, and wanted Zero dead."   
  
"That makes two of us." Winter thought as she took a sip of her drink.  
  
Across the table, Wrecka played with her glass some more. "During Roose's first battle as a pilot, Hiead provoked a few C-type Victim into following him. He led them into the area where the Ingrids were fighting, or to be more specific…" she looked up at Winter, "he led them straight to Erts."  
  
"Why did he want to hurt Erts?" Winter leaned forwards and rested her chin on the back of her right hand.  
  
"To anger Zero, of course. He wasn't stupid, he knew Erts was special to Zero. But, because he had shut off his communication lines, he didn't know that Zero had already been withdrawn because of some strange mechanical errors with his Pro-Ing." Wrecka took her first sip of tea. "The Victim beat Erts into unconsciousness before turning on Hiead, killing him instead. After the initial shock of the situation, Ikhny wasn't that broken up, but it all drove Tune insane. She thought she had lost another partner. It was horrible… she wouldn't stop crying, even with Leena trying to consol her."   
  
"So, they the placed Ikhny with Erts?"  
  
"Yes. It was decided that Tune was too mentally unstable to support Erts in battle, and Ikhny was too good of a repairer to be sent home. So, they were just stuck together." Wrecka stood up suddenly, startling Winter. "I believe you have asked enough of me. I'll be leaving."   
  
"Awww… so soon? What about your tea?" Winter sat back and smirked.  
  
"It honestly isn't that great." Wrecka turned and looked sharply at Winter. "And if you so much as breathe on Roose…"  
  
Winter threw her hands up. "Don't worry. You have been most cooperative. No harm will come of Mr. Sawamura."  
  
Wrecka smiled and flicked her hair back behind her shoulders. "Good." She walked away, her heals clacking on the tile floor.  
  
Winter laughed, "Feisty girl." She finished her drink and tossed some money on the table as she left the bar. "Looks like tomorrow I'll be giving Erts a little surprise."

* * *

Next chapter: Erts finds his building is under new management, he learns the new owner is also his new neighbor, and Zero does Kizna a favor. 


	8. Chap 8

I have returned! Aren't you glad? Um... I have NO idea when the next chapter will be finished and posted because, like, I have a job and school to keep me busy now. Yay for monies and learning! Whoo

**

* * *

Unknown Territory- Chap 8**

**By: Nariko**

"Zero!" Kizna yelled up the stairs. "Hey, Zero!"

"He's downstairs." Ikhny said, downing some aspirin with water. Zero had been living in the Towryk-Allecto residence for a little over a week, and ever since he moved in, the only quiet time in the house occurred when he and Kizna were asleep. It was giving Ikhny, and the neighbors, a bit of a headache.

"Oh... thanks!" She switched stairways. "Zero!" Kizna called down to the basement where Zero was watching TV. "It's time to do me that favor I warned you about!"

"Tell me what it is first!" He yelled back.

"I'll tell you when you get up here!"

"No, tell me NOW, damn it!"

Kizna twitched, losing her patience "GET YOUR ASS UP HERE BEFORE I SHOVE MY FOOT UP IT!"

"Fine!" Zero, seething, switched off the TV and stomped up the stairs. "Now, WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" They glared at each other for a bit before Ikhny chimed in an explanation.

"See, Zero... Kizna is taking an art class in the city, and the assignment is to draw a live model." Ikhny smiled.

"Why can't she draw you, then?"

"Because we did female models _last_ week. This week is drawing males." Kizna said, butting in.

Zero took a step back. "It's not... nude... is it?"

Kizna shuddered at the thought, "thankfully, NO."

"Good." Zero said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Now, just sit right there," Kizna pointed to an armchair in the middle of the living room, "and be quiet for a bit."

"Yeah, yeah." Zero plopped down in the chair.

"Now, look at me." Kizna commanded, "Good!" She began sketching, but soon found herself doing just as much erasing as drawing. "Ugh!"

"What now?" Zero asked, still somewhat annoyed at his situation.

"Mmm..." Kizna turned to Ikhny. "Can you bring me a brush and maybe some gel?"

"Sure." Ikhny disappeared for a moment and then returned with a large hairbrush and a bottle of hair gel.

"What are THOSE for?"

"Zero..." Kizna kneeled down in front of him. "I don't know how to say this... but... you hair is a pain in the ass to draw."

"Huh?!"

"Which is why..." She got up and walked behind Zero, brush and gel in hand, "I think I'll give you a little makeover."

"No!" Zero tried to cover his hair with his hands. "I like my hair the way it is now!"

"It wouldn't hurt to try something new for once!" She began wrestling with Zero over his hair.

"Damn it, woman! STOP!" He wrestled back.

"Give it up, Zero!"

"Fine!" Zero flopped back in the chair, pouting in defeat. "Man," he thought, as Kizna began to play with his hair, "I wonder what Erts is doing now."

Erts walked down the hall of his apartment building, fumbling with his keys, totally ignoring everything around him.

"Hello, Erts," a woman's voice said.

Erts whipped around, startled. "Winter!"

"Correct, my pet." She smiled, leaning against the wall across from Erts.

"St... stay away! I'll call security!"

"Security?" She smirked and walked towards him, backing him into a corner. "I think not. I _own _this place now."

"What?" Erts' eyes widened as she leaned in closer, blocking off any chance of escape.

"It's. All. Mine." She leaned in as if to kiss him, stopping just short of his lips. "Hn. And your little friend Zero can't help you now." She stepped back and grinned at Erts' terrified expression. "Are you scared of me, darling? Are you afraid of the things you'll see or hear if I touch you?"

"... yes." Erts whispered, nodding slightly.

"Heh." She turned and began to walk down the hall. "I'll see you later, _neighbor_!"

Shaking, Erts darted into his apartment, locked the door, and collapsed to the floor. "What is she..." He put his face to his knees, his hands wrapping around the back of his neck protectively. "Zero... I need you!"

"Whoa..." Zero grabbed his head, "that was weird."

"What?" Kizna asked, pausing mid-line.

"I could have sworn I just heard Erts."

"It's probably just your imagination." Kizna said, beginning to draw again. "Now hold still."

"No, it was definitely Erts. He was screaming for me."

"Can his telepathy really do that?" Kizna asked Ikhny, who was sitting at the dinning room table, reading.

"I'm not sure. Though, he is very close to Zero, so I wouldn't be surprised if he could communicate with him over long distances." Ikhny responded before returning to her reading.

"I'm gonna call him." Zero quickly got up and rushed to the nearest phone.

Erts heard his phone ringing, but he wasn't so sure he wanted to answer it. At least, he didn't want to until he regained some of his composure. He was still sitting on his floor, curled up, and using most of his energy to keep himself from breaking into tears.

"Damn it... he's not answering!" Zero hung up the phone and began looking for his shoes. "I have to go over there."

"Zero! You can't!" Kizna grabbed his arms to hold him back. "You're not allowed in that building. They can arrest you for trespassing!"

"I don't care!" He lashed out, knocking Kizna away from him.

Kizna wedged herself between Zero and the door, arms stretched out. "You're not going!"

"Kizna... out of my way."

"You're not! Call him again, and if he doesn't answer... try once again. But you are NOT going over there." Kizna glared at him, dead serious.

Gingerly, Ikhny tapped Zero's shoulder and handed him a phone. "Please, just listen to Kizna this time."

"Fine." Zero dialed the phone, this time receiving an answer.

"Hello..." Erts' voice cracked.

"Erts! Are you okay?" Zero yelped into the phone.

"Zero?" Erts seemed rather surprised.

"Yeah. Umm... I think you cried out to me?"

"You _heard_ me?"

"Yup. What's wrong?"

"Um... nothing... now..."

"Are you sure?" Zero was skeptical.

"Umm... Zero..."

"Hmm?"

"Can I stay over there for a while?"

Zero covered the receiver and looked back at Kizna. "Can Erts stay over here for a while?"

Kizna perked her ears up. "Sure. We have one extra room. Why does he want to, though?"

"I don't know... he won't tell me. Zero uncovered the phone and began talking to Erts again, "Kizna says it's fine. Are you coming over now?"

"As soon as I pack. Um... see you in a little while..."

"Bye." Zero pushed the off button, handed the phone to Ikhny, and threw his hands in the air. 'Yay! Erts is coming over!"

"I wonder why, though." Kizna pondered outloud.

"I dunno. I'll try to get the truth out of him soon."

It wasn't more than an hour before Erts arrived, looking somewhat frazzled. Kizna greeted him with a smiled, followed by Zero, whose appearance brought Erts a bit of a shock. "Zero..." Erts blinked at his friend.

Zero raised his eyebrows. "Hmm?"

"... what happened to you hair?"

"Oh!" Zero covered his head with his hands once again. "Kizna... Kizna did this to me." Before Erts could say anything else, Zero ran to him, pretended to be crying on his shoulder, and declared, "it was AWFUL! You have NO idea. I told her I liked my hair the way it was, but she just wouldn't stop! She's a BEAST!" Zero mock sobbed.

"Who are you calling a 'BEAST'?" Kizna screamed at Zero.

"Why you, you Psycho Wannabe Hairdresser." Zero stuck his tongue out at Kizna.

"You little..." Kizna ran towards Zero, who dashed off, laughing.

Erts watched Kizna chase Zero around the front yard, both yelling childish insults at each other, with some amusement. "I think I'm going to like it here."


	9. Chap 9

Announcement! Two friends and I are starting (or restarting, rather) an MK online RPG called Infinite Possibilities, and we're looking for players! Available characters are Rioroute, Phil, Ernest, Gareas, Leena, Force, Yuu, Yamagi, Tukasa, Ikhny, Kizna, Saki, Azuma, Mitche, and Yukine. For more information (you don't have to join to interact with characters!), either mail me at narichanATverizonDOTnet or AIM me at Narikochan84. Hope to hear from you!

Yeah… this was another chapter that just would NOT allow me to write it x-o Though, after I figured out how to get Erts out of school, it wasn't so hard.

* * *

**Unknown Territory- Chap 9   
By: Nariko **

Erts poked at the lump in the bed called Zero. "Um… I need to talk…"

"It's 3am…" The lump whined.

"I know. Sorry…"

"Whatever. Get in." Zero said groggily, flinging up the sheets behind him.

"I don't really need to…"

"Just get in, Erts." Zero commanded. "I don't feel like getting up."

"Um, okay…" Erts snuggled down into the bed, staring at Zero's back.

Suddenly the bed began to move as Zero rolled over to face Erts. "Now, what's up?"

"I don't want to go back home."

Zero raised an eyebrow at Erts. "Why?"

"Because, well…" Erts shifted a bit, averted his eyes, and quickly spat out, "Winter is my new neighbor and the new owner of my building and she cornered me a few days ago and almost kissed me" He looked back up at Zero, who was now very awake, and _very_ angry. "Zero?" He watched as one of Zero's eyes begin to twitch.

"She did WHAT?!" Zero began to get out of bed, fully intent on marching all the way to Erts' building to beat Winter into a bloody pulp; however, he found his movement slightly hindered by Erts clinging to his arm, trying to pull him back into bed.

"Zero!" Erts tugged. "There is nothing you can do right now, okay?"

"Yeah there is! I can go over there and kill her with my bare hands!"

"Zero!" Erts gave Zero an annoyed look.

Zero blinked at Erts and sighed. "Fiiiine," he said as he settled back into bed, getting into the same position Erts had found him in. "I'll kill her tomorrow." He felt Erts begin to shimmy out of his bed. "Hey, where you going?"

"I, was, er… going back to my bed."

"Why? You can stay here."

"Well, okay…" Erts scooted back into the bed, his back pressing up against Zero's, and closed his eyes.

"Zero! Have you seen Er… ah!"

Erts cracked open an eye to see Kizna standing in the doorway, trying to hide a huge grin. "Kiz…na?" Suddenly Erts noticed there was a strange weight around his waist and looked down to realize it was Zero's arm. "Uh…"

"Mmm…" Zero, still asleep, snuggled closer to Erts.

"Umm… umm… I need to go!" Erts yelped as he flew out of bed and out of the room, his face bright red.

"Smooth Zero, very smooth." Kizna crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame.

"Hmm?" Zero looked up at Kizna, his eyes squinting at the light, "where'd Erts go?"

"Ran off." Kizna wandered over to Zero and sat at the foot of the bed. "Um, do you know about Erts' feelings for you?"

"Huh?" Zero sat up.

"I guess that's a 'no'?" She sighed. "Zero, Erts… loves you. And _not_ as a friend."

"Oh! That!" He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I kind of figured."

"Does it bother you?"

Zero shook his head, "not really. Though, I do feel kind of bad about it."

"Why?"

"Because…" Zero rested his head against the wall behind him, "I don't really know how I feel about him yet."

Kizna smiled, "I'm sure you'll figure it all out soon." She quickly glanced at her watch. "AH! Erts!" she screeched as she got up and ran out of the room, "you'd better be getting ready for school!"

"I am, actually." Erts said as he met Kizna in the hallway, dressed in his school uniform, his face still slightly pink.

"Oh, well, good!" Kizna led Erts out into the dining room and pointed to the table. "Eat breakfast."

"Oh no, that's okay. I've never driven to school before, so I'd prefer to leave now just in case I get lost."

Kizna stared at him flatly, "I wasn't offering it… I'm _ordering_ you to eat! You're much too thin."

Erts laughed nervously, "ah… well… maybe just some juice."

"Um, no." Kizna shoved a bagel into Erts' mouth, and began to push him out the door. Unable to speak, Erts just nodded, grabbed his bag, and got into his car. "Have a good day at school!" Kizna yelled as Erts pulled away.

"Poor Erts." Zero, still in his PJs, said as he hopped down off of the front porch. "I bet he's counting the days until he can quit school."

"Well, at least he's doing _something_, Mr. Constantly Unemployed." Kizna glared at Zero.

"Hey, I'm taking off time to… reflect?" Zero tried.

"Reflect my ass. The only thing you're doing is getting fat." Kizna poked his stomach.

"I am not!"

"You are!" She smirked. "Maybe we should put you on a diet."

"I don't need a diet, damn it!" Zero heard Ikhny laughing softly at them in the doorway. "Ikhny, am I getting fat?" he whined.

"I think you look fine." Ikhny smiled sweetly at him.

"Seeee?" gloated Zero.

"Ikhny, I thought you were on my side!" Kizna howled as she and Zero got into a playful little shoving fight.

Ikhny laughed, "Now, now. Settle down. It's almost time to go to work."

Zero blinked and stared at the cat-eared girl standing next to him. "You _work_?"

"Well, yeah." Kizna brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "I work with Ikhny at a robotics company a couple of miles away."

"Ikhny works too?"

"Of course. Not everyone can sit around and do nothing like you." She crossed her arms.

"But I'm going to be alone!"

"There are snacks in the fridge in case you get hungry!" Ikhny chimed in, already ready to go.

Kizna quickly walked back to the house and leaned into the entrance, retrieving her work backpack. "Sorry, Zero, but our two week vacation is over."

"But…"

"Be a good boy while we're gone!" Kizna playfully slapped Zero on the back before she and Ikhny got in their car and drove off.

"Man, this sucks. I wish Erts was here…"

* * *

"Erts!" A girl screamed down the hall. 

"Oh god. Not again." Erts mumbled to himself as he hid his face in his hands.

"Erts! Hi!" The girl caught up to him.

"Oh, hello." He faked a smile.

"Is it true?" The girl jumped in front of Erts and leaned toward him, looking as if she was about to cry.

"Is what true?" He backed away from her.

"Are you really turning eighteen in a few days?" She began to walk towards him, making him back up even more.

"… yes... I am…" He found himself up against a locker.

Her eyes began to well up with tears. "You won't be quitting school, will you?!"

"Well, yes…"

"NO!" She suddenly collapsed to her knees, sobbing. "You _can't_ leave!"

"WHAT?! Erts is _leaving_?!" Another girl shrieked.

"No!" As did yet another.

A wave of horror washed over Erts as a large group of upset girls suddenly began to crowd around him. "Umm… sorry… but…" He tried to scoot away with them, sliding his back against the lockers, but to no avail. "Really… I'm sure you'll all be fine without me…"

"Mr. Cocteau?" a school staff member asked, somewhat shocked at the scene in front of him. "Someone is here to pick you up."

"Eh?"

"Um… yeah," The man gave him a nervous smile, "he says he's your husband."

"_HUSBAND?!_" All the girls screamed at once.

"Husband?" Erts asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Is there a problem Mr. Cocteau? Should I tell him to leave?"

"Umm… no! Not at all." Erts stared at the floor as he made his way through the girls, following the staff member down the hall to the school's office.

"Honey!" Erts looked up to see Zero with a sly smirk plastered across his face. "did you forget that we're supposed to have lunch with my parents?"

Erts stood there, in shock, for a moment or two before snapping back to reality. "Oh! Umm… I guess I did."

"Aww… my sweetheart is so forgetful sometimes." Zero hugged Erts from behind. "Oh, your face is turning red. You're not getting sick, are you?"

"No…" Erts tried to hide his blush. "Can we just go?"

"I guess we should, you know how upset my mother gets when people are late." Zero turned to the office staff "thank you so much for retrieving my _wife_ for me!" Zero put his arm around Erts as they left the office.

"Alright! It worked!" Zero leaped a bit as he jogged to Erts' car.

"That was_ so_ embarrassing..."

"Would you have been happier staying in school?" Zero stopped at the car and yelled back at his friend, who was sauntering through the parking lot, about five feet away from him.

"No…" Erts unlocked the car and sat down quietly.

"So, what's wrong?" Zero looked at Erts, concerned.

"It's just…" Erts crossed his arms in front of him, "how come _I _have to be the Wife?!" Zero blinked at Erts before launching into a laughing fit. "Don't _laugh_!" Erts exclaimed, trying to sound as insulted as possible.

"I'm sorry… but you'd just make such a wonderful wife!"

"I would not!" Erts turned on the car, "besides, I'd need a real husband first…"

Zero smiled serenely at Erts. "I'm sure you'll find one."

Erts smiled back, "So, where should we go?"


	10. Chap 10

I finally have my formerly-broken laptop back! After $600 of repairs. Oi oi. But that means that I finally have access to this chapter and the last chapter of this fic! So yeah… now it's being updated! Once again, like most of the chapters, this one jumps places quite a bit and doesn't take place right after the last chapter. But… enjoy!

* * *

**Unknown Territory- Chap 10**

**By: Nariko**

"Happy birthday, Erts!"

"Ah!" Erts couldn't help but smile at the little impromptu mini-party his friends were throwing him.

"So, you're finally 18!" Kizna handed Erts a rather large piece of cake.

"Yes…" He blinked at the cake, not sure where to begin eating it.

"Are you going to drop out of school tomorrow?"

"Of course. I just have to show them a proof of age. My birth record should work, but…"

"But?" Zero swallowed a glob of icing.

"The chip with that information is still in my apartment. I'll have to go get it tonight."

Zero twitched, "I'm going with you."

"But you can't, Zero." Kizna said firmly.

Erts gently patted Zero's hand, "It's okay, I'm sure I won't be gone for long. Winter won't even have time to realize I'm there."

Kizna glanced outside, "Why don't you go now, before it gets too dark?" She looked back at Erts and noticed he hadn't touched his cake. "Or you could finish your food first."

"Ahha… no, that's okay. I'll go now." He put his cake aside and got up to leave.

"Fine." Kizna smiled, "But be aware that you _will _be eating it when you return.

"Of _course_. I wouldn't miss it for the _world_." Erts waved as he walked out the door.

Ikhny blinked as she heard Erts' car start. "You know, I don't think Erts ever used such obvious sarcasm before he started to live here."

"Zero is bad influence." Kizna smirked and whacked Zero will a small pillow.

Zero shot out of his seat, "_ME_!" What about _YOU_!"

"_I'm_ perfectly innocent!"

"Innocent my ass!" Zero grabbed another small, decoration pillow from the couch and started swinging it at Kizna, who attacked him with her pillow again, thus inciting a rather competitive pillow fight.

Ikhny stared out the window, zoned out from the squawks and laughter coming from the two teenagers beating each other. "I hope Erts will be okay…"

* * *

Erts entered his pitch-black apartment. "Something doesn't feel right here." 

"Can't get anything past you." A flame flickered in the darkness as Winter lit a candle sticking out of a cupcake.

Erts stepped back. "How did you get in here!"

"As I told you before, I own this place now. I have access to _all _of the apartments" She approached him with the cupcake. "Happy Birthday, darling. Hm," she smirked, "Eighteen… legal age of consent on Zion." She put the cupcake on one of Erts' side tables and shoved him onto the couch. "Now playing with you won't be illegal!"

"But how did you know I'd come back?" Erts' body tensed as she drew closer.

"Simple," she opened her hand and showed him a small, flat, data square. "I knew you'd need this to drop out of your school tomorrow. I figured you probably left it here." She scoffed, "That and I've had a few of my people following you around."

"Following me?" He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Please, I need to get back!" Erts got up to leave, only to find himself quickly shoved back onto the couch. He swallowed hard, "What… are you going to do to me?"

Winter straddled his lap and whispered into his ear, "Whatever I want."

* * *

"Zero, calm down!" Kizna ordered. Zero had been pacing back and forth for the last thirty minutes in the living room, and it was starting to make her a little nervous. 

He shook his head, "No, he's taking too long. He should have been back by now."

"I'm sure he's fine. Erts is a big boy; he can take care of himself." Kizna watched him, her arm around Ikhny, who was leaning against her shoulder, sleeping.

"No, he's always been too gentle outside of the battlefield. If confronted, I'm not sure he'd fight back." Zero departed to the foyer and went through the coats in the closet to find his own. "I'm going over there. Just to make sure he's okay."

"Zero, we went over this before…" Kizna got off of the couch, gently laying down the still-sleeping Ikhny, and tried to block the door again, "You CAN'T go!" .

"Listen, the last time he was over there alone, she tried to_ kiss_ him! I think she delights in torturing him, and now that he's eighteen…."

"You don't think she'd really try to hurt him, do you?"

"I wouldn't put it past her."

Kizna looked down at Zero's hands, which were now tight fists. "…. Fine. But I'm driving you there. I want you to grab Erts, and then we'll leave, okay?" She watched the muscles in his lower arm twitch slightly.

Zero couldn't hide his surprise over his former partner's change of tone. "You mean it?"

"Mm-hm," she nodded.

"Alright!" In one fell swoop Zero somehow managed to put on his coat and shoes, and began running to the car. "Let's go!"

"Eh? Hold ON." Kizna yelled after him as she struggled with her own shoes.

It wasn't long before Zero and Kizna pulled up to Erts' apartment building. "Erts must not be here." Kizna pointed at a window. "His apartment is dark."

"No…" Zero stared at the window for a second, "something is flickering up there. A flame, maybe?"

Kizna squinted "Wow… I think you're right!"

"I'm going…" Zero opened the door and began to get out.

"Zero…" Kizna grabbed his sleeve, "promise me you'll be careful. Just get him and get out, okay?"

Zero smiled, "Don't worry! I'll be back soon!" Zero ran up to Erts' apartment, and finding the door locked, kicked it in.

"ZERO!"

"Erts!" Zero felt his blood boil as he saw Erts on the couch with Winter hovering over him, holding down his shoulders. "You fucking bitch…" Zero lunged at her, but missed as she ducked his attack.

"A bit slow for a demigod, don't you think?" She got off the floor and brushed herself off.

"How did you know that I'm…"

"I've been able to attain access to all of your personal files. Zero Enna, the second, legendary pilot of the White Goddess, Ernn Laties. Your fighting skills are unsurpassable, your EX infinite, and your body has no known weakness." She grinned evilly. "Yet… you _do _have _one_ weakness… and I know what it is."

"Oh, really?" Zero stomped towards her.

"Oh, I do!" She pulled a gun out of her coat and held it to Erts' forehead,

Zero stopped dead in his tracks. "Erts!"

"Tell me, Enna," Winter cocked the gun, "would you die for him? Would you give your life in order to spare your friend's?"

"Yes."

"Hn." Winter pulled the gun away from Erts' head. "You didn't even have to think about it. How sweet." She saw Erts take a step towards Zero. "Ah, ah, ah! On the couch, darling."

"Zero?" Erts looked at him with apprehension.

"It'll be okay, Erts. Just do what she says." Zero nodded.

"Awww… how cute. He wants make sure his little friend lives. I almost want to leave you two alone." Winter played with the gun for a bit. "Whoops… nevermind… feeling just passed. Good-bye, Enna!" She pressed the barrel of the gun against Zero's forehead, and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Am I evil, yes… yes I am XD The next chapter is kind of out there and freaky, so stay tuned! 


	11. Chap 11

Last chapter! Finally! Er… sorry it took so long for me to post it. I got distracted by other fandoms. Damn you, CLAMP!

**Warnings:** Utter weirdness in the beginning and a bit of naughtiness at the end.

* * *

**Unknown Territory- Chap 11**

**By: Nariko**

Zero groggily opened his eyes to find himself in a strange place filled with dark green vines and bright orange-red rocks. He also noticed that the sky and ground were nothing like he had ever seen on his colony or Zion; instead, both were made up of a luminescent, silvery mist that wisped around his legs as he stood.

"Rei. It's nice to see you again." Zero turned toward the smooth, familiar voice. "It feels like it's been eons."

Zero nodded. "Teela, mother, where are we?"

"My domain. A special place inside of Zion."

"Inside Zion?" Zero ran his hands over a nearby rock. "Am I really… dead?"

"In a way." She walked up to him, leaving a trail in the mist, and cupped his face in her hands, smiling. "You two have always been so reckless."

"Us two?"

Teela led Zero over to a clearing where there stood a lone rock that had what appeared to be a body laying on it.

"Your brother."

"Hiead?" Zero crept closer to the body. "Whoa… is he dead too?"

Teela brushed a lock of hair from Hiead's face. "No. His current state, I suppose, could be likened to 'suspended animation'."

Zero sighed, "Damn…" He took a step away from the rock. "Wait… will the same thing happen to me here?"

"That is up to you. Hiead chose this path for himself, and now you must choose yours."

Zero once again looked over at Hiead's body. "My path…?"

"Yes." Teela came up behind Zero and wrapped her arms around him. "Your path." Teela pulled away from Zero, "I already know what your heart truly wants. It's just a matter of realizing it yourself."

"My _heart _wants to be _alive_." Zero crossed his arms.

Teela chuckled, "yes, but _why?_"

"Who knows. Revive me now?"

"I'm afraid I can't send you back without a reason." Teela smiled and gracefully turned up her palm as a glowing orb appeared and hovered above it. "So, perhaps a bit of assistance?" An image suddenly appeared inside the orb; an image of Erts, blood covered and crying over Zero's lifeless form.

"Erts!" Zero felt a strange twinge of pain in his chest.

"That pain you feel… what do you think it is?"

Zero hung his head. "I don't know. It's just… Erts… he's crying because of me." He kicked a rock in frustration and screamed, "And I can't do anything to help him!"

Teela smirked. "Do you want to go back to him? Stay with him?"

"What?" Zero looked up, surprised.

"Do you want to stay by his side to protect and care for him forever?"

"Stay by his side?" Zero could see Erts sinking farther into despair as he sobbed.

"It's up to you." The image began to fade into black.

"Erts… he'll get over it if I don't come back, right?"

"No, he won't. His most special person was just murdered in front of him. It's too much for a boy like him to bear." She closed her hand, destroying the orb. "Rei, your time is running out. If you stay here much longer, you will never be able to leave."

Zero closed his eyes, facing the floor as he thought. "I…"

"Yes?"

"I…" Zero looked up into Teela's eyes. "I want to go back. I want to be with Erts."

Teela smiled. "Very good, Rei. You listened to your heart." She pulled him close to her and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Now, close your eyes. When you open them again, your desire will be fulfilled."

* * *

"Zero!" Erts bawled uncontrollably. 

"Goddamn, get over it." Winter sighed and looked at her gun, half contemplating shooting Erts just to get rid of his constant sobbing and wailing. Suddenly the crying stopped, and she looked up to see Erts on his knees, staring in shock at Zero's body, which was now surrounded by a white radiance and hovering slightly above the floor. "What the…?" Her eyes widened as Zero's wounds disappeared and he took a sharp breath in before descending back to the floor, no longer shining.

"Ugh…" Zero cracked open his eyes. "That wasn't fun. Erts? Where are you Erts?"

Erts leaned over Zero, still in shock. "Ze… ro?"

Zero smiled, "the one and only."

"ZERO!" Erts cried, happily throwing his arms around the older boy, before withdrawing again "Oh… sorry…"

"Sorry for what?"

"For being so… forceful. With the hug." Erts wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm just so happy you are okay."

"Thanks. But you weren't really _forceful_…" Zero suddenly tackled Erts and kissed him. "_That _was forceful," he smirked.

"Um…" Erts couldn't help but notice, and become reddened by, the fact that Zero was now laying on top of him. "… yes."

"Oh HELL no." Winter cocked the gun once more. "I'm not about to let you take my toy away from me so easily. I killed you once, I can kill you AGAIN."

"I think not…" Winter watched her gun melt away with the touch of a shining finger, "…Miss. Gridington."

Winter whipped around to see a young, glowing, long haired girl standing in front of her. "Who… or what… the hell are you?"

"Teela?" Erts asked, still pinned beneath Zero.

"Correct."

Winter lunged at Teela who took the opening and shoved her hand into Winter's body. "It's time to meet your end, Miss Gridington." Teela pushed Winter away from her, pulling out a smoke-like, pearlescent mass. She looked down at Winter's wilted, motionless form, "The body can not survive with out the soul, dear Winter," she turned her attention to the mass in her hand, "and I do not show mercy to someone who killed my son before his time." She closed her hands around it, ignoring the screaming sound it emitted as it was crushed.

* * *

"Zero…" Erts shook the totally-covered human lump in the bed he and Zero shared, "You're going to be late for work." 

"I don't want to go," it moaned in response.

"Come on, everyone has to work." Erts pushed a button and bedroom window's blinds automatically rose to flood the room with sunlight.

The lump whined like a child, "Nooo… no work."

Erts sighed: every weekday morning for the past year had started exactly like this. "Zero." He crawled onto the other side of the bed, laid down, and pulled the covers down below Zero's head. "Come on, Zero…"

Zero grinned playfully. "No."

Erts stared at him flatly, "Do I have to call Kizna all the way out here to get you up?"

A feeling of terror washed over Zero. "You wouldn't!"

"Well, if you get up, I won't have to."

"Fine." Zero pouted and begrudgingly got out of bed, wearing nothing but a pair of tan draw-string pants, and headed into the bathroom. "I can't believe you'd tattle on me to Kizna, Erts!" He brushed his teeth, dried his hands, and came back into the room. "You're so evil." He tossed his drying towel playfully at Erts.

"I am _not_." He looked down at the towel and quietly added, "I wouldn't_ really _sic Kizna on you."

Erts gave a surprised squeak as Zero bounded onto their bed and pinned him down. "I know." He started to lick and nibble on Erts' ear.

"Ze… Zero!" Erts squirmed as his boyfriend made his way down his neck. "You have work!" He gasped before pushing up Zero by his shoulders.

"But this is much more fun than work!"

Erts gave him a pointed look. "Get dressed and eat breakfast."

"Can I… eat breakfast off you?" Zero asked with a teasing smirk.

Erts laughed as Zero gave him a hopeful, puppy-dog look. "We'll see, Zero, we'll see."

**THE END**

* * *

And with that, I finally finish my first multi-chapter fic. Go me. Sorry if the ending disappointed you! 


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